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Counter-arguments

Red herring

Whether or not religion provides hope or meaning has nothing to do with whether it is true.

Is this desirable?

This argument is comparable to the statement, "It would be cruel to take away someone's antidepressants, since that person would succumb to depression". This may be true in some (perhaps even many) cases, but in general it is better to raise people not to require drugs to be happy. Similarly, it is better to be able to find hope and meaning without having to resort to religion.

Religion also provides despair

This argument also ignores the fact that for many people, religion brings unhappiness: in many forms of religion, people are told that having sexual thoughts is a sin; homosexuals are told that they are vile and wicked; and some denominations preach that all humans, no matter how much good they do, are miserable sinners who deserve to be tortured for all eternity.

The hope that such religions provide is not the uplifting hope of improving one's future, but rather the hope of evading just punishment.